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Wars displace record 40.8 million people: report

Middle East conflicts account for more than half of the 8.6 million people displaced by fighting in 2015, according to a new report. The total number of internally displaced people has jumped to a record high.

The number of internally displaced people rose to a record 40.8 million people in 2015, according to a joint report released Wednesday by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).

"This is the highest figure ever recorded, and twice the number of refugees worldwide," said Jan Egeland, the NRC's secretary-general.

There were 8.6 million people newly displaced within borders last year, nearly half from conflict zones in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the report said.

"As the world's attention focused on the flow of refugees out of the region, millions were displaced internally in the Middle East, more than in the rest of the world combined," said Carsten Hansen, NRC's regional director in the Middle East.

The number of internally displaced in Syria and Iraq increased by 1.3 and 1.1 million, respectively, adding to the millions already forced from their homes in those long-running conflicts.

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Iraq: No quick relief for the displaced

Iraq: No quick relief for the displaced (29.12.2015)

Yemen was hit the worst, with "a staggering 2.2 million forced to flee their homes as a result of the Saudi-led airstrikes." Saudi Arabia and allied Gulf states launched a military operation and economic blockade against Houthi rebels in Yemen last year, creating a humanitarian disaster.

The more than 1 million refugees who reached Europe last year were just the tip of the iceberg of global displacement, which internally can simmer for years before bursting beyond borders.

"While richer, stable countries have been scheming to keep asylum seekers out of their borders and deny them protection, millions remain trapped in their own countries with death staring them just around the corner," Hansen said.

Five countries - Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, South Sudan and Sudan - have been among the top 10 countries with displaced people for more than a decade.

"This is further evidence that in the absence of the help displaced people need, displacement tends to drag on for years and even decades," said IDMC Director Alexandra Bilak.

The report also said natural disasters had created 19.2 million internally displaced people last year, led by India, China and Nepal.

South Sudan: children of the war zone

Displaced persons, missing parents

More than 30,000 people live in the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Juba, capital of South Sudan. Around 7,000 are children who have lost contact with their parents. The NGO Nonviolent Peaceforce is trying to reunite them.

South Sudan: children of the war zone

Family tracing and reunification

The first step is to establish a child's identity and then to collect as much information as possible which could assist in the location of the parents. This data is placed online and can be accessed by all international organizations working in child protection in South Sudan. If the search for the family proves fruitless, or if the child has been orphaned, foster parents are found.

South Sudan: children of the war zone

All-female peacekeepers

In South Sudan, Nonviolent Peaceforce focuses on the protection of women and children. They rarely participate in armed conflict but are disproportionately affected by it, so Nonviolent Peaceforce is forming all-female Women's Peacekeeping Teams, specially trained in tackling sexual and gender-based violence.

South Sudan: children of the war zone

Women's Peacekeeping Teams

As well as training, the Women's Peacekeeping Teams are also given follow-up support as they seek to prevent sexual and gender-based violence. The teams liaise with women in the communities, helping them to identify risks and counter them. The teams are also in contact with authorities so that culprits can be held accountable for their actions.

South Sudan: children of the war zone

Ulang in Upper Nile State

The civil war began as a political dispute, but it has reopened ethnic fault lines between the Dinka people of President Salva Kiir and the Nuer of rebel leader Riek Machar . Ulang in Upper Nile State is dominated by the Nuer. It was attacked by government in troops in May 2015 and dozens were killed. The once tranquil region found itself caught up in conflict.

South Sudan: children of the war zone

Child protection projects in Ulang

Nonviolent Peaceforce runs a child protection project in Ulang, one of six in South Sudan. These projects vary in accordance with local needs. In Ulang, community volunteers ensure that the children have access to recreation and sports.

South Sudan: children of the war zone

Soccer on a former battleground

At Ulang's Kopuot Primary School, children are playing a game of soccer as part of a child protection project. The building in the background is pockmarked with bullet holes, an ever-present reminder that the school was a target for government troops during their May offensive.

South Sudan: children of the war zone

Back to school

All teaching materials and other supplies at the school were destroyed in the government offensive. But now, in makeshift classrooms, the struggle to acquire an education goes on. Author: Fellipe Abtreu